Building management system with integration of data into smart entities

Abstract

A building management system includes an entity database, a software defined gateway, and an entity service. The entity database stores a plurality of interconnected smart entities including object entities representing a plurality of physical devices, people, or spaces and data entities representing data associated with the plurality of physical devices, people, or spaces. The smart entities are interconnected by relational objects indicating relationships between the object entities and the data entities. The software defined gateway is configured to receive information technology (IT) data and operational technology (OT) data from a plurality of different data sources. The entity service is configured to create a new smart entity in the entity database or update an existing smart entity in the entity database using the IT data and the OT data. The new or existing smart entity includes one or more first attributes having values derived from the IT data and one or more second attributes having values derived from the OT data.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A building management system comprising:
 an entity database storing a plurality of interconnected smart entities, the plurality of interconnected smart entities comprising:
 object entities representing a plurality of devices of building equipment, people within a building, or spaces within the building; and 
 data entities representing data associated with the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the plurality of interconnected smart entities being interconnected by relational objects indicating semantic relationships between the object entities and the data entities; 
 
 a software defined gateway configured to receive information technology (IT) data and operational technology (OT) data from a plurality of different data sources, wherein:
 the IT data describe one or more characteristics of the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the one or more characteristics being static or changing at a first rate; and 
 the OT data describe one or more states or conditions of the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the one or more states or conditions being dynamic or changing at a second rate faster than the first rate; and 
 
 an entity service configured to create a new smart entity in the entity database or update an existing smart entity in the entity database using the IT data and the OT data, the new smart entity or the existing smart entity comprising one or more first attributes having values derived from the IT data and one or more second attributes having values derived from the OT data. 
 
     
     
       2. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the software defined gateway is configured to use a different communications protocol to communicate with each of the plurality of different data sources, the communication protocols comprising at least one of BACnet, Modbus, LonTalk, SQL, JMS, AMQP, MQTT, FTP, or HTTP. 
     
     
       3. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different data sources comprise at least two of internet of things (loT) devices, building equipment, a weather service, a news service, a document service, or a media service. 
     
     
       4. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the IT data describe at least one of a relationship between a building equipment device and other building equipment devices or a relationship between the building equipment device and a space within the building. 
     
     
       5. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the OT data comprise event data received in real-time from building equipment installed within the building, the building equipment comprising at least one of a chiller, a boiler, a sensor, a cooling tower, and air handling unit, a rooftop unit, a variable air volume unit, lighting equipment, security equipment, or fire detection equipment. 
     
     
       6. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the OT data comprise data samples collected from building equipment devices comprising at least one of sensors, actuators, electronics, vehicles, or home appliances. 
     
     
       7. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein a first smart entity of the plurality of interconnected smart entities comprises a first attribute identifying a physical building equipment device represented by the first smart entity and a second attribute storing a most recent value of a dynamic variable associated with the physical building equipment device. 
     
     
       8. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the entity service is configured to create and manage the plurality of interconnected smart entities;
 the object entities comprising a first object entity representing a physical building equipment device; and 
 the data entities comprising a timeseries representing data generated by the physical building equipment device, the timeseries comprising a first attribute identifying the first object entity and a second attribute storing a most recent value of a dynamic variable associated with the physical building equipment device. 
 
     
     
       9. A building management system for managing data relating to a plurality of physical building equipment devices connected to one or more electronic communications networks, comprising:
 one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
 store a plurality of interconnected smart entities in an entity database, the plurality of interconnected smart entities comprising:
 object entities representing a plurality of devices of building equipment, people within a building, or spaces within the building; and 
 data entities representing data associated with the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the plurality of interconnected smart entities being interconnected by relational objects indicating semantic relationships between the object entities and the data entities; 
 
 receive information technology (IT) data and operational technology (OT) data from a plurality of different data sources, wherein:
 the IT data describe one or more characteristics of the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the one or more characteristics being static or changing at a first rate; and 
 the OT data describe one or more states or conditions of the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the one or more states or conditions being dynamic or changing at a second rate faster than the first rate; and 
 
 create a new smart entity in the entity database or update an existing smart entity in the entity database using the IT data and the OT data, the new smart entity or the existing smart entity comprising one or more first attributes having values derived from the IT data and one or more second attributes having values derived from the OT data. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to use a different communications protocol to communicate with each of the plurality of different data sources, the communication protocol comprising at least one of BACnet, Modbus, LonTalk, SQL, JMS, AMQP, MQTT, FTP, or HTTP. 
     
     
       11. The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein the plurality of different data sources comprise at least two of internet of things (loT) devices, building equipment, a weather service, a news service, a document service, or a media service. 
     
     
       12. The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein the IT data describe at least one of a relationship between a building equipment device and other building equipment devices or a relationship between the building equipment device and a space within the building. 
     
     
       13. The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein the OT data comprise event data received in real-time from building equipment installed within the building, the building equipment comprising at least one of a chiller, a boiler, a sensor, a cooling tower, and air handling unit, a rooftop unit, a variable air volume unit, lighting equipment, security equipment, or fire detection equipment. 
     
     
       14. The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein the OT data comprise data samples collected from building equipment devices comprising at least one of physical devices, sensors, actuators, electronics, vehicles, or home appliances. 
     
     
       15. The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein a first smart entity of the plurality of interconnected smart entities comprises a first attribute identifying a physical building equipment device represented by the first smart entity and a second attribute storing a most recent value of a dynamic variable associated with the physical building equipment device. 
     
     
       16. The building management system of  claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to create and manage the plurality of interconnected smart entities;
 the object entities comprising a first object entity representing a physical building equipment device; and 
 the data entities comprising a timeseries representing data generated by the physical building equipment device, the timeseries comprising a first attribute identifying the first object entity and a second attribute storing a most recent value of a dynamic variable associated with the physical building equipment device. 
 
     
     
       17. A method for managing data relating to a plurality of physical building equipment devices connected to one or more electronic communications networks, comprising:
 storing a plurality of interconnected smart entities in an entity base, the plurality of interconnected smart entities comprising:
 object entities representing a plurality of devices of building equipment, people within a building, or spaces within the building; and 
 data entities representing data associated with the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the plurality of interconnected smart entities being interconnected by relational objects indicating semantic relationships between the object entities and the data entities; 
 
 receiving information technology (IT) data and operational technology (OT) data from a plurality of different data sources, wherein:
 the IT data describe one or more characteristics of the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the one or more characteristics being static or changing at a first rate; and 
 the OT data describe one or more states or conditions of the plurality of devices of building equipment, people within the building, or spaces within the building, the one or more states or conditions being dynamic or changing at a second rate faster than the first rate; and 
 
 creating a new smart entity in the entity database or updating an existing smart entity in the entity database using the IT data and the OT data, the new smart entity or the existing smart entity comprising one or more first attributes having values derived from the IT data and one or more second attributes having values derived from the OT data. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising using a different communications protocol to communicate with each of the plurality of different data sources, the communication protocol comprising at least one of BACnet, Modbus, LonTalk, SQL, JMS, AMQP, MQTT, FTP, or HTTP. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the plurality of different data sources comprise at least two of internet of things (loT) devices, building equipment, a weather service, a news service, a document service, or a media service. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the IT data describe at least one of a relationship between a building equipment device and other building equipment devices or a relationship between the building equipment device and a space within the building; and 
 the OT data comprise event data received in real-time from building equipment installed within the building, the building equipment comprising at least one of a chiller, a boiler, a sensor, a cooling tower, and air handling unit, a rooftop unit, a variable air volume unit, lighting equipment, security equipment, or fire detection equipment. 
 
     
     
       21. The building management system of  claim 1 , wherein the relational objects indicating the semantic relationships include a relational object indicating a semantic relationship that is a type of relationship of a plurality of types of relationships between a first entity and a second entity. 
     
     
       22. The building management system of  claim 21 , wherein the relational object indicates the type of relationship of the semantic relationship with an attribute.